Platen printing-machine.



No. 635,737. Patented Oct. 3|, |899.

M. T. BARBER.

PLATEN PRINTING MACHINE. (Application filed Aug. 14, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l,

N0. 635,737. Patented Ooi. 3I, |899.

M. T. BARBER.

PLATEN PRINTING MACHINE.

Y (Application led Aug. 14, 1897.) (No Model.) Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. T- BARBER Patented Oct. 3|., |899. PLATEN PRINTING MACHINE.

(Application led Aug. 14, 1897.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3,

l(No Model.)

FI'G-2.

No. 635,737. v Patented Oct. 3|, |899. M. T. BARBER.

PLATEN PRINTING MACHINE.

'(Application lad Aug. 14, 1897.) (N9 MOIIOL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

UNITED? STATES.

PATENT Friet.

MAXIMILIAN THOMAS BARBER, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

PLATEN PRINTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 635,737, dated October 31, 1899.

Application nea August 14,1897. senti No. 648,307. comme.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, MAXIMILIAN THOMAS BARBER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain andv Ireland, and a resident of 37 Fountain street, Manchester, county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain Improvements in Platen Printing-Machines, (for which I have obtained a British patent, N o. 14,433, dated August 10, 1892,) of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to improvements in platen printing-machines, and has for its object to provide mieans for facilitating the feed and automatic registering of the paper or other material to be printed.

In order that my said invention may be more clearly understood, I will describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through y of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan with the type-bed removed. Figs. 1a, 1b, 1, and 1d illustrate the progressive ac- .tions of the different parts which form the main features of my said invention and which I will first describe.

M designates the press-frame, on which the stationary platen B is supported in an inclined position.

The object to be printed-for instance, a card A-isinserted at a at the upper end of the platen B in such a manner as to rest on projecting feet or stops b, Fig. 1. On the platen is a reciprocating feeding-clamp c, which is caused to open as it reaches the upper end of the platen B. At this point the feet b are caused to retire through the platen, whereupon the card A falls into the open clamp c, Fig. 1n. The upper member of this clamp is resilient and normally closes on the lower member thereof or whatever may be between them. The said clamp now being left free to close takes hold of the card. The said clamp then retires and brings the card downward, so as to bear against the lower feet d, Fig. 1b. At the moment of passing the lower feet cl the clamp c opens and leaves the card in register. While in this position the type-bed C comes to bear on the card and the printing is effected. As the type-bed rises the lower feet d retire through the platen and allow the card to fall into the reciprocating lower or withdrawing clamp e, which at this stage is open. The clamp c remains in its lowermost position until the sheet is printed. After printing the clamp c ascends, being soon followed by the clamp e, which is always below the clamp c. The setting and timing of their respective operating-cams is so arranged that there is always a space left between these clamps, although their distance apart varies according to the part of the stroke they happen to bein. The opening of the clamp c at the bottom of its stroke, to enable it to release the sheet, is effected by the horn c', riding over a fixed lateral pin c3. The instant the clamp c begins to recede the jaws of the clamp close (see Fig. 1c) and draw the card still farther downward and under a deiiector f, whereupon the clamp e opens and the card falls through, Fig. 1d. The ,feet and clamps are then ready to repeat `the cycle of operations.

The mechanism for operating the clamps and feet is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. On the main driving-shaft D is atoothed wheel g for imparting motion through the toothed wheel g to a secondary cam-shaft 7L. On the main driving-shaft D is a cam t' at each side of the machine, which through a lever t", pivoted at i2, Fig. 2, and a link t3, imparts a reciprocating motion to the feeding-clamp c. A horn c', secured to the upper jaw of the clamp c, causes the latter 'to open at the proper point by riding over a projecting pin c2. In their normal position the lower feet d are down, as shown in Fig. 1; but as the clamp c descends a projection c4, Fig. 2, meets with a bar or plate (Z, fixed to thevaXis about which the feet d oscillate7 and thereby raises the feet CZ into the position shown in Fig. 1b. The upper feet b are operated by the plunger b', Fig. 1, which bears against a cam b2 on the secondary cam-shaft h, the operative end of the said plunger being in contact with a tail b3, which is rigid with the said feet or stops b and mounted with them on a pivot-rod b4.v The parts are so arranged that the action of the said plunger against the said tail will withdraw the bent protruding end of the stop or foot through the platen out of the path of the card A. A spring b5, connected to this rod b3, throws the said stop or foot into position again. The lower or withdrawing IOO clamp e receives its reciprocating motion from two cams e' on the main shaft D by means of two corresponding plun gers e2, which are connected to the said clamp at or near its ends and therefore move it evenly without strain or excessive friction. The upper part of the clamp e is fixed, the movable jaw e3 being in this case underneath and pivoted at c4. The opening of the lower clamp at the moment of finally releasing the card is effected by the horn e5 (secured tothe movable jaw of the clamp and oscillating about its axis) riding over a pin z,xed at aconvenient point in the path of the clamp. This pin preferably projects inwardly fromthe front of the frame or casing M, which in Fig. l is supposed to be removed to show the mechanism. The opening ot' the clamp ein its upper position is et`- fected by a lug or projection e7 on the axis meeting a iixed pin es. In its normal position the clamp e is kept closed by the act-ion of the spiral spring e on the projection cm of the axis. The spring e9 also serves to keep the plunger e2 in contact with the surface of the cani e.

In cases where card or other material is used of suiiicient weightto fall away from the platen when the lower feet d are withdrawn the lower or withdrawing clamps e may be dispensed with. The feet and the gripping parts of the clamps are preferably mounted on transverse rods, on which they may be slid and secured by set-screws in order to regulate them to different sizes of paper. The stroke of the cams and the position of the stops or other appliances for opening them must be varied to 'suit the size of the machine and will require the usual setting, so that the successive operations may follow each other at the proper times, as will be well understood.

The platen is provided with side gages G, which may be regulated for various widths of card in the usual manner and may also have the usual frisket-ng'ers for preventing the rise of the paper through sticking to the type. The type-bed is operated in the usual man ner, being pivoted at m to frame M and vibrated by a pitman N from a wrist-pin n, carried by crank-disk 7L of shaft h, and forms no part of my said invention; but owing to the automatic feedingand registering of the cardboard the type bed need not travel through so great an arc as in platen-machines of the ordinary construction, where space 4must be provided to enable the register to be adjusted by hand, and in consequence a machine constructed in accordance with my said invention may be driven at a greater speed than is the case with platen printingmachines as hitherto constructed.

I am aware that it has been proposed to use clamps of various kinds to transfer paper or cardboard from one part of a printing-machine to another, and I wish it to be underj stood that I malte no broad claim to the use of traveling clamps in and of themselves.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In combination with an inclined stationary platen, a pair of pivoted stops or feet protruding above the same, a plunger and spring operating reversely on an attachment of the said feet, a shaft and cam operating the said plunger, a clamp adapted to take hold of the card which is to be printed when the withdrawal of the said stops allows the card to slide down into the said clamp and means for actuating the said clamp to move the said card into register and to release the card after printing, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with an inclined stationary platen a stop or foot for holding the card that is to be printed above the same, a second stop for supporting the said card while on the platen and in register, a clamp for receiving the card as it slips from the iirst stop and moving it into register, and mechanism for moving said stops into and out of operating position and reciprocating opening and closing the saidclamp substantially as set forth 3. In combination with a platen, a stop or foot above the same, a clamp for taking the card which is to be printed and movingvit into register, a second stop which supports it thereafter, a second clamp which takes it after it is released from the second stop, and mechanism for moving these stops into and out of position and reciprocating closing and opening the said clamps substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAXIMILIAN THOMAS BARBER.

Witnesses:

JOHN HALL, A. T. WHITnLow.

IOO 

